The High Cost of Empire
US Representative Maxine Waters, a progressive Democrat from Southern California, and Representative Ron Paul, a libertarian Republican from Texas, rarely agree on social policy. Both, however, are outspoken in their opposition to wasteful military spending.
A former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and cofounder of the "Out of Iraq" Caucus, Rep. Waters, along with congressmembers Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, introduced a bill in 2007 calling for President Bush to withdraw all troops from Iraq within six months. More recently Rep. Waters publicly urged President Obama to accelerate his 16 month withdrawal timetable.
Ron Paul has stated repeatedly that maintaining an overseas military empire costs US taxpayers over one trillion dollars annually. The exact amount is almost impossible to confirm because military funding is not transparent, and the Pentagon and doesn't even admit to the existence of many of its bases and secret operations.
Historian Chalmers Johnson has noted that once a military base is built it becomes an integral part of the local economy and is almost never dismantled. Why, for example, does the US still maintain bases in Germany and Japan, two prosperous democratic allies easily capable of providing for their own defense?
President Obama's formal military budget request for 2010 totals $739 billion, about as much as his massive economic stimulus program. That's equivalent to one stimulus package each and every year with no end in sight—money that could otherwise be spent on healthcare, Social Security, education, the environment, paying down national debt—or simply left in taxpayers' pockets.
SOURCES: www.pacifica.org.
Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic, Chalmers Johnson, 2008.
Real Time with Bill Maher, 2/20/09.
Bailouts For The Rich & Poor
The economic downturn has everybody reassessing their personal fortunes and playing the blame game. While commentators left and right declare the end of credit and a "new frugality," the question remains: Who is going to pay for the financial bailout? Why are corrupt financial megacorps like AIG handed hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars while struggling homeowners are still facing foreclosure? As one small town banker noted, "Any institution that is 'too big to fail' is simply too big."
In a more just world the superrich who benefitted most during the financial bubble would be taxed to repair the damage caused by its collapse. The Center for Social Inclusion wants government to bail out minorities who are disproportionately victimized. As CSI Executive Director Maya Wiley told reporter Amy Goodman, "We have to stimulate equality in order to stimulate the economy," including access to education, transportation, and a clean environment.
Political commentator Frank Scott muses: "We have depended on foreigners buying our public debt in order to finance a murderous foreign policy, while denying housing, health care and education to millions of our people. Meanwhile, workers with falling wages have been consuming things they often don't need and can't afford.... [We can, however] save ourselves by creating a cooperative, democratic, and socially responsible world."
SOURCES: www.egalienate.blogspot.com
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22244.htm
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22173.htm
Greener Firms Survive Downturn
A new study by global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney indicates that firms with "true commitment to sustainability" will outperform industry peers. These "Green Winners" may well emerge from the current crisis stronger than ever," said the authors. This report is the latest that backs the assertion that green products and services as well as the companies that produce them will show resilience through the economic downtown—and beyond!
SOURCE: http://www.climatebiz.com/news/2009/02/11/green-companies-do-better-during-downturn-study
Eat Beef And Get 57x More Gas!
Eating meat contributes mightily to global warming, according to a recent report by Scienfitic American.
Pound for pound, beef production generates greenhouse gases that contribute more than 13 times as much to global warming as do the gases emitted from producing chicken. For potatoes, the multiplier is 57.
Beef consumption is rising rapidly, both as population increases and as people eat more meat. Producing the annual beef diet of the average American emits as much greenhouse gas as a car driven more than 1,800 miles.
What can be done?
Improving waste management and farming practices would reduce the "carbon footprint" of beef production. Methane-capturing systems, for instance, can put cows' waste to use in generating electricity. But those systems are costly and not yet commercially viable.
The more obvious solution: "Eat less beef."
SOURCE: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-greenhouse-hamburger
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Global Warming: Last Chance?
Al Gore once famously stated that protecting the environment must become "the central organizing principle of world civilization." December's U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen may be the last best chance for the world community to make good on that intent.
The overwhelming consensus of climatologists is that the manmade release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is a significant cause of global warming. CO2 is an inevitable byproduct of burning of fossil fuels, primarily oil and coal, and the more we burn the greater "the greenhouse effect." Over the last 150 years, roughly since the spread of the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have risen from 280 to over 387 parts per million (ppm). At over 350 ppm, global warming can spiral out of control, causing mass heat waves, droughts, and coastal flooding, displacing tens of million of people and even toppling governments.
"Frankly the science is screaming at us," remarked Senator John Kerry. "Maybe the invention of fire was a mistake," joked a friend sardonically. Limiting CO2 emissions will require unprecedented cooperation. Democrat and Republican, capitalist and communist, Muslim and Jew—we're all in this together.
Many enviros have long supported a "cap-and-trade" program, putting an overall limit on global emissions and allowing nations or industries to buy or "trade" pollution credits. There are innumerable challenges to forging an agreement amenable to all parties, however, because any constraints on emissions will have winners and losers. Large developing nations, primarily China and India, say that the US and Europe should shoulder most of the burden of CO2 reduction. After all, our economies have had a 150 year head-start. Oil is dirty, but the alternatives are often dirtier, more dangerous, or more costly. China and the US are both coal rich, but there is no such thing as "clean coal," despite that industry's propaganda. Enviros are conflicted about nuclear fission but at least it's carbon-neutral. Renewable energy such as solar and wind is more expensive than oil and coal, but a habitable Planet Earth is priceless!
The Clinton administration helped craft an international climate agreement in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol, but Congress found it flawed and refused to ratify the pact. Learning from this misstep, the Obama administration is working more closely with the current congressional leadership. Mirroring the European Union, Obama's goal is to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, and he also wants to provide money and technical assistance for developing nations to cope with climate change. "This is not just about emissions but about creating a massive investment in a new global energy economy" that includes protecting natural resources as well as the transfer of technology, said Angela Anderson, director of the Pew Environment Group's Global Warming Campaign.
The promoters of Earth Day are urging President Obama to lend his prestige to the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen this December by personally attending.
SOURCES: www.350.org
www.realclimate.org
www.earthday.net
www.newyorktimes.com, 3/01/09
Earth In The Balance, Al Gore, 1992.
Try These Natural Remedies For Autoimmune Diseases...
There are over 80 different autoimmune disorders, the most common of which include Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Celiac Disease, and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that auto-immunity affects more than 23.5 million Americans, most of them women, making it the fourth largest cause of disability among women in the United States. In each case the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own cells as if they were foreign invaders.
Andrew Weil, MD, believes that "integrative care can be very effective at reducing the frequency and severity" of the flare-up of symptoms. He recommends trying a low protein "anti-inflammatory" diet, emphasizing fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil and oily fish, and avoiding dairy products.
Moreover, Dr. Weil endorses a wide range of stress relief techniques, including yoga, tai chi, self-hypnosis, walking, and soothing music. "Any meditative practice that evokes the relaxation response can calm the immune system."
SOURCE:
"Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing," March 2009.
Worldwide Happiness Survey: What Makes People Happy?
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As the world grapples with a global recession and financial markets remain volatile, some people are reminding themselves that money can't buy happiness. Many men, however, beg to differ. Results of a global happiness survey from The Nielsen Company reveal that men are happier with money, while women are happier with friendships and relationships with their children, co-workers, and bosses.
"Because they are happier with non-economic factors, women's happiness is more recession-proof, which might explain why women around the world are happier in general than men are," said Bruce Paul, VP Consumer Research, US, The Nielsen Company.
The 51-country Nielsen Happiness Study found that globally, women are happier than men in 48 of the 51 countries surveyed, and only in Brazil, South Africa, and Vietnam were men found to be happier than women. Women are also more optimistic about the future, scoring higher than men on predictions of their happiness in the next six months.
According to the Nielsen survey, there are three main drivers of happiness globally: personal financial situation, mental health, and job/career. Being satisfied with your partner is also important for happiness in many cultures. Globally, women were also happier with their sex lives, although men were generally happier with their spouses. (As mothers and homemakers?) Men are generally happier with their physical health than women.
As well as gauging levels of happiness, the Nielsen survey examined what specific factors contributed to happiness around the world. "Many of the world's poorer and emerging markets outranked developed countries for happiness and satisfaction levels in nearly all aspects of their lives."
The Nielsen Survey revealed that there is an important cultural component to happiness, and that priorities differ around the globe. For example, the Swiss and Finns topped global rankings for choosing their physical health as a top driver of happiness, while the Finns and Australians considered the state of their mental health as a key happiness driver.
The Swiss and Vietnamese stated their relationship with their boss as a strong happiness driver, something employers in Switzerland and Vietnam should be well aware of. The survey also found that in the USA and Poland, consumers considered their relationship with co-workers a strong happiness factor, even more important to their happiness than relationships with their own family!
In which countries do the happiest people live? Last June the folks at the World Database of Happiness ranked 95 nations on a happiness scale of one to 10.
Overall, Scandinavian nations come out on top, making up five of the 13 happiest nations. The Swiss and the Danish came out happiest, scoring an 8.1 (out of 10), followed by Iceland (7.8), Finland (7.7), Australia (7.7) and Sweden (7.7), all the way down to grim Moldova in Eastern Europe (3.5).
Where does the United States fit into this picture? "Happiness is there for the taking in America," writes Eric Weiner in his book, The Geography of Bliss. "You just need the willpower to find it, and enough cash." But not necessarily tons of cash. It turns out that the USA is not as happy as it is wealthy, ranking a modest 7.3 in happiness, only 17th worldwide. US residents are three times richer than they were in 1950, but the happiness ratings haven't shifted in the past decade. "Americans work longer hours and commute greater distances than virtually any other people in the world," Weiner notes, yet "they remain profoundly optimistic."
Still, how much happier would we be if we emulated the happier Scandinavians, with less disparity between rich and poor, less free enterprise but better social services?
Or maybe we 'd be happier with more women in charge?
SOURCES: The Nielsen Company, November 25, 2008.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/23/happiness-world-index-oped-cx_hra_0423happy.html
EMOTIONAL FREEDOM: Judith Orloff, MD Crown Publishing, 2009 We live in a tumultuous, fear-dominated period in history and must become masters at overcoming fear and other negative emotions so they don't sabotage our power. With skill and compassion, Dr. Judith Orloff shows us how to become heroes in our own lives by transforming anger, loneliness, and envy, rather than simply "reacting" when our buttons get pushed. An Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, Dr. Orloff shares her wealth of personal and professional knowledge to illuminate the field of emotions. She draws on wisdom from traditional medicine but goes light years beyond it by presenting emotions as a path to spiritual, energetic, and intuitive awakening. Why is this leap so important? The intellect has restricted vision about emotions, but bringing intuition into the feeling realm lets us go deeper within. Dr. Orloff asks us to see every success, every heartbreak, every loss, every gain as vehicles for transformation. She teaches readers to view emotions in a non-ordinary way, rather than simply making you happy or miserable. Everyone will benefit from the insightful instructions that continually guide us and also from the author's intimate personal journey and well-earned life wisdom. Judith is the kind of doctor we wish we all had. As an empath, Dr. Orloff knows the gigantic challenges of being an "emotional sponge" and teaches other empaths who've been labeled "overly sensitive" how to stay grounded in an often-overwhelming world. You'll enjoy the "emotional vampire survival guide"—specific advice for dealing with emotional drainers. We've all met them. You're talking to someone, when suddenly you feel anxious, depressed, or tired. She describes the narcissist, the victim, the controller, and other types of vampires. Plus, there are quizzes to help you determine "Are you in a relationship with an emotional vampire?" or if you might be one yourself. Sometimes, we all have the capacity to be draining, but with mindful compassion we can catch ourselves early and make a shift. Emotional Freedom is the rare book that can open your mind and your heart to more empowerment. Give yourself a gift and read it.
America I AM LEGENDS: Tavis Smiley Smiley Books, 2009 "Would America have been America without her Negro people?" — W. E. B. Du Bois America I AM: The African American Imprint, a national traveling museum exhibition, was conceived by award-winning broadcaster and bestselling author Tavis Smiley as a one-of-a-kind multimedia experience that chronicles the distinct history of African Americans. This beautifully conceived companion volume addresses the central theme of the exhibition, posed by W. E. B. Du Bois: "Would America have been America without her Negro people?" Through exceptional photographic images and penetrating words, America I AM Legends captures the dynamism of 78 legendary African Americans, highlighting the indelible imprint each has made on the United States and the world. A statement illuminating a unique aspect of each iconic figure— made by the legend or by someone carrying on their legacy today—portrays the vision and contribution of each subject. Whether black artistic genius, athletic excellence, political leadership, or the struggle to hold America true to its promise, each legend reminds us that America would be unrecognizable without its African American imprint. America I AM Legends takes us on an unforgettable journey to the heart of the American experience. With his late-night television talk show, Tavis Smiley, on PBS, and his radio show The Tavis Smiley Show from NPR, Smiley was the first American ever to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both PBS and National Public Radio. Smiley's television program is the first show in the history of PBS to be broadcast from the West Coast. The Tavis Smiley Show on public radio is currently distributed by PRI, Public Radio International. He can also be heard weekdays on his nationally syndicated commentary, The Smiley Report. Additionally, Tavis offers political commentary on the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show. Tavis has authored nine books, including On Air and Keeping the Faith, an inspiring collection of personal narratives about love, loss, and faith by African Americans from all walks of life. |
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Life Extension In A Pill?
In a recent New York Times story, "Vitamin Pills: A False Hope?" the author cited a number of broad studies debunking the value of nutritional supplements. "In the past few years, several high-quality studies have failed to show that extra vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life."
The following week Epoch Times headlined "Chondroitin Sulphate Found to Help Osteoarthritis," citing a two year study which found "significant" improvement in the condition of joints as well as relief from pain. Another Epoch Times story, "The Red Wine Pill," documented how megadoses of resveratrol, a key ingredient in red wine, can reduce the effects of aging, decrease the chance of getting cancer, help weight loss, and "make you look like a trained athlete without the training."
What are we to make of the conflicting data? The emerging science of diet supplements is still in its infancy, and despite the hype there are no magic bullets. Vitamins and supplements tend to work in combination, and megadoses can cause imbalances which sometimes do more harm than good. For example, two studies of beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A, correlated its use with a higher rate of lung cancer. And a study of folic acid suggested that its use could increase the formation of cancerous colon polyps.
To insure against vitamin deficiencies it's best to eat a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. A daily multivitamin probably falls into the "can't hurt, might help" category. Beyond that, don't expect miracles. A medical professional can test for specific deficiencies and recommend targeted supplements in the right dosages. Niacin, for example, can lower "bad" cholesterol; Vitamin D may over time lower the incidence of Multiple Sclerosis; calcium appears to lower the recurrence of precancerous polyps.
Life extension in a pill is tantalizing nonetheless. Life extension physicians and naturopaths claim clinical success using a wide array of nutritional and hormonal therapies.Since many supplements come from natural sources and not subject to patent, however, pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to test these claims.
SOURCES: New York Times, February 16, 2009
Epoch Times, February 26, 2009.
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Talking Fosters Intimacy And Happiness
"How was your day?" Asking your spouse this simple question every night can improve your relationship, says psychologist Angela Hicks, PhD, of Westminster University. She studied 48 couples and found that those who discussed recent events with each other felt happier the next day, with increased feelings of intimacy and connection to their partners. While sharing good news had a greater positive effect than disclosing stressful events, the act of communication itself seemed to be beneficial. "This is, of course, consistent with a larger body of findings indicating that individuals with close supportive relationships live happier, healthier lives."
Make time to talk—you'll both feel better, and your love life will probably improve, too!
SOURCES: Prevention, December 2008.
Tai Chi Helps Control Asthma
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Lenzie Williams, longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister, offers Tai Chi classes for health and stress relief in our Martial Arts category. |
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Tai chi chuan, gentle non-impact movements which have been described as similar to "slow motion karate," has long been touted as beneficial for healing, coordination, and stress-relief for persons of all ages and fitness levels.
A preliminary study now suggests that practicing tai chi also can increase airway efficiency and improve quality of life for asthma sufferers. The authors are on staff in the department of medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital in Thailand.
Seventeen patients attended supervised exercise once per week, followed by daily home-based exercise assignments using an audio-visual guide. This routine lasted six weeks.
The researchers measured such things as oxygen consumption and exercise endurance, concluding that tai chi improved both maximum and functional exercise capacities and improved exercise performance.
Patients also reported being more comfortable doing a six-minute walk and were able to increase their maximum oxygen consumption.
The research was presented at CHEST 2008, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, in Philadelphia.
SOURCES: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20081028/tai-chi-may-help-control-asthma
"Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing," January 2009.
From Victory Garden... to Seeds of
Spare Change... to the White House
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During World War II US citizens grew vegetables in their backyards to expand the food supply and help feed the troops. Initially frowned upon by agribusiness because it threatened their profits, these "victory gardens" became a national source of patriotism and pride, but were soon forgotten after the war ended.
Now, in the midst of the "Great Recession," more households are growing their own vegetables as a way to save cash. While sales at trendy restaurants and pricey natural groceries such as Whole Foods have stagnated, home gardening is expected to grow by 20%.
Voices in the sustainable food movement, including Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and Ed Bauman of Bauman College have called for the Obamas to lead the nation in better nutrition. On March 20 Michelle Obama commenced digging up a patch of the South Lawn to plant an organic vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in World War II.
SOURCES: www.wikipedia.com
TIME, February 29, 2009.
New York Times, March 20, 2009.
Probiotic Foods & Supplements Fight Infection, Boost Energy
If you're suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, general fatigue, urinary tract infections or a host of other maladies, your gut just might need a few more "good" microorganisms. So say researchers exploring the health benefits of probiotics, live microorganisms found in a variety of foods and pill supplements, including some for vegan palates.
Probiotics aren't new, however. People around the world have consumed them for centuries in foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea and viilli, a cultured dairy product that is popular in Scandinavian countries. Not all probiotic foods have the same levels of active cultures, however, and some commercial yogurts aren't much different from ice cream. It's best to go natural, avoid sugary confections, and sweeten to taste with your own added fresh fruit.
SOURCES: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Probiotic-strain-passes-yoghurt-culture-test-Study
"Probiotics and Prebiotics in Dietetics Practice," March 2008, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
http://www.mlive.com/living/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/01/probiotics_a_way_to_get_health.html